There are a few things I could say about Spongebob Squarepants: Creature from the Krusty Krab. Perhaps, though, the most telling thing that I can bring myself to say about it is that I literally fell asleep while playing.
The game is boring, first, foremost, and chiefly above all other things, which obviously hampers the game but initially seems so impossible: how could a videogame with the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii and the completely ridiculous Spongebob license possibly bore?
Spongebob essentially consists of several "episodes," which each work around a theme involving some set of characters and their particular plight. Each episode consists of a number of stages, one after the other. The problem is that none of the stages are actually any fun; the first episode jostles you between an agonizingly controlled racing stage and a woefully simplistic third-person quest to seek out new parts for your car, back and forth, back and forth, until you've played each one maybe four times or so, and then the episode just ends. The second episode is a strictly third-person romp with six or more stages. Another episode is a sidescrolling affair where you alternate between trying to get away from an evil hamburger and catching random pieces of garbage in a points-based minigame.
If some of this sounds intriguing or humorous, that's because it is—until you realize you're playing it without any mental interaction or tangible joy. Most of the levels can be easily cleared just by holding the stick or pad in the direction you're supposed to be going and slamming the attack button over and over. Motion capabilities are strictly digital: slap the remote downwards while in the air to do a butt bomb, "crank" the nunchuk to extend a bridge... and they do nothing to enhance the game. In many aspects a digital button for the action would have even been preferable as the motion detection is not always responsive.
The main thrust of the levels almost exclusively is to present to you an opportunity to earn tokens which can be hoarded up to purchase things at the game's vending-machine-styled bonus room. The problem with that, again, is that none of the things you can buy are actually any fun. You can get music tracks from the game, tiny, un-zoomable artwork, and new difficulty levels for the selection of uninspired minigames—and that's about it. You also collect various whatsits throughout your quest that unlock new characters, though their purpose is not initially evident.
And that's pretty much it. It's a shame, really, because there are some things in CFTKK that really are promising: the save points are quick to instantaneous, the loads between levels are zippy, and the between-episode splash screens and level premises are excellent and inspired. At times even the graphics show promise, like in the comic-book themed Starfishman level.
But there's an undercurrent coursing through the entire game that just pulses "rushed." Some stages just abruptly end with no indication you've finished. Others, like the hamburger stage's minigame, just count down a timer and then slap a screen over it telling you your score before you're kicked onto the next one. The voice actors try a little too hard to imitate the television characters, and the soundbites of particular phrases are repeated ad nauseum, sometimes even the same one back-to-back over and over. The main interface is clumsy, floaty, and even frequently accessed things like the token shop are buried in menus. Even the splash screen in the Wii channel menu is non-dynamic and boring, a static screen with a bubbly sound-effect.
In the end, lauders might be quick to point out that Creature from the Krusty Krab is a game intended for children and fans of the series. If I were a child, though, and this was one of my first games, I'm not so sure I'd be interested in them long enough to see this one's followup hit the shelves. Even kids would be better served by other games—or some Spongebob DVDs instead. At least boring episodes of the TV show only last twenty-two minutes.
The game is boring, first, foremost, and chiefly above all other things, which obviously hampers the game but initially seems so impossible: how could a videogame with the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii and the completely ridiculous Spongebob license possibly bore?
Spongebob essentially consists of several "episodes," which each work around a theme involving some set of characters and their particular plight. Each episode consists of a number of stages, one after the other. The problem is that none of the stages are actually any fun; the first episode jostles you between an agonizingly controlled racing stage and a woefully simplistic third-person quest to seek out new parts for your car, back and forth, back and forth, until you've played each one maybe four times or so, and then the episode just ends. The second episode is a strictly third-person romp with six or more stages. Another episode is a sidescrolling affair where you alternate between trying to get away from an evil hamburger and catching random pieces of garbage in a points-based minigame.
If some of this sounds intriguing or humorous, that's because it is—until you realize you're playing it without any mental interaction or tangible joy. Most of the levels can be easily cleared just by holding the stick or pad in the direction you're supposed to be going and slamming the attack button over and over. Motion capabilities are strictly digital: slap the remote downwards while in the air to do a butt bomb, "crank" the nunchuk to extend a bridge... and they do nothing to enhance the game. In many aspects a digital button for the action would have even been preferable as the motion detection is not always responsive.
The main thrust of the levels almost exclusively is to present to you an opportunity to earn tokens which can be hoarded up to purchase things at the game's vending-machine-styled bonus room. The problem with that, again, is that none of the things you can buy are actually any fun. You can get music tracks from the game, tiny, un-zoomable artwork, and new difficulty levels for the selection of uninspired minigames—and that's about it. You also collect various whatsits throughout your quest that unlock new characters, though their purpose is not initially evident.
And that's pretty much it. It's a shame, really, because there are some things in CFTKK that really are promising: the save points are quick to instantaneous, the loads between levels are zippy, and the between-episode splash screens and level premises are excellent and inspired. At times even the graphics show promise, like in the comic-book themed Starfishman level.
But there's an undercurrent coursing through the entire game that just pulses "rushed." Some stages just abruptly end with no indication you've finished. Others, like the hamburger stage's minigame, just count down a timer and then slap a screen over it telling you your score before you're kicked onto the next one. The voice actors try a little too hard to imitate the television characters, and the soundbites of particular phrases are repeated ad nauseum, sometimes even the same one back-to-back over and over. The main interface is clumsy, floaty, and even frequently accessed things like the token shop are buried in menus. Even the splash screen in the Wii channel menu is non-dynamic and boring, a static screen with a bubbly sound-effect.
In the end, lauders might be quick to point out that Creature from the Krusty Krab is a game intended for children and fans of the series. If I were a child, though, and this was one of my first games, I'm not so sure I'd be interested in them long enough to see this one's followup hit the shelves. Even kids would be better served by other games—or some Spongebob DVDs instead. At least boring episodes of the TV show only last twenty-two minutes.